Of birds and explosives
by RainandSunshine09
Summary: Set during "Polly Wanna Pizza" in the 1987 series. Michelangelo gets seriously hurt during the demolition of the Baring Arms Hotel. His big brother's are feeling pretty guilty with how they treated him and his rescuer earlier. Please read and review.


So I have been watching a lot of the classic TMNT cartoons the last few days and this popped in my head while I was watching, "Polly Wanna Pizza". What would have happened if Michelangelo was hurt from falling through all the floors of the hotel? Not to mention the safe falling on him as well? The other turtles feel pretty crummy about arguing with their brother earlier and some fluffiness happens. (I sure hope I capture the 1980's feel in this, please read and review).

"Okay Ditto, dude, what's all the excitement about?" Michelangelo asks as he climbs through the window of the abandoned building.

"Galoobi Ruby (Whistle) Galoobi Ruby" Ditto answered as the turtle stepped inside and walked across the shaky floor boards.

"Galoobi Ruby? I have no idea what you're squawking about" As Michelangelo made his way to the safe, he felt his foot slipped through the floor boards. He let out a yell as he fell, hitting every floor on the way down with his shell. The turtle heard a sickening crack as his shell made contact with the basement floor. Before he could register what had just happened, Michelangelo looked up to see the very same safe that was on the top floor fall towards him. He could hear the faint cries of his bird before his world went dark.

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"Well boy genius, what's the scoop on that key?" Raphael asked impatiently as Donatello typed away on his computer.

"Well it opens a very rare safe that is located here in this city at the Baring Arms Hotel", the purple banded turtle replied, quite proud of himself that he was able to figure out the mystery.

"That must be where Mugsy hid the Galoobi Ruby" Leonardo said.

"Galoobi Ruby (whistle)" came a robotoic reply. The three turtles looked up to see Ditto entering the lab.

"Ditto, where's Michelangelo" Raphael asked worriedly.

"Michelangelo (whistle), Baring Arms Hotel" replied the bird as he continued to flap his wings.

"He must be in some kind of trouble" Leonardo exclaimed.

"It looks like Ditto wants us to follow him," Donatello said as the bird made his way to the exit.

"Didn't I see this once in a Lassie episode?" Raphael stated, scratching his head.

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The turtle van and Mugsy's limo pulled up to the old hotel. As the turtles got out, they look over to see Musgy grab the key around Ditto's neck. "Look, he's got the key" Donatello pointed out.

"Don't worry about that. We got to save Michelangelo before the building blows up" Leonardo replied heroically.

"And in true cliff hanger fashion" Raphael said as he looked at his watch, "Should happen in exactly, two minutes".

"Hurry guys, this way" Leonardo led the rest of his brothers into the hotel. "Wait!" he yelled as they entered the building. His arms went out in front of his other two brothers to stop them.

As Raphael looked up, he saw boards hanging off of the walls from where they once separated the different floors of the hotel. They looked to have recently collapsed, the smell of wood filled the air. The dust that was collected from years of abandonment was rising from the bottom of the basement floor, making it hard for the turtles to breathe. "All of the floors have collapsed" the red banded turtle whispered. Only one thought crossed their young minds, where was their brother? And was he okay?

Leonardo was afraid to look over the ledge that showed the now exposed basement. Carefully stepping over some broken boards, he knelt down and tried looking through the unsettled dust for his brother. As he scanned the sinkhole quickly, a piece of orange material caught his eye. "Look, there!" He pointed out to his younger brothers. Michelangelo laid unconscious in the pile of old floor boards. Wood was stacked on top of the turtle from when he fell through. Leonardo looked to the right of his brother and noticed that the safe, that held the precious ruby, was on top of Michelangelo's leg, pinning the youngest. "Michelangelo, can you hear me?" he called down to him.

"It's no use, he's out cold!" Donatello stated, sounding defeated.

"Here guys, give me a hand," Raphael said as he handed Leonardo his grappling hook. Leonardo grabbed ahold of the turtle shell at the end of the rope and held on as he felt weight shift on the other end of it. The older brother could feel hands wrap around his shell from behind him. He didn't need to turn around to know that it was his purple banded brother helping to hold the weight.

"Be careful Raphael, the boards aren't that sturdy" he managed to say as Raphael made the climb down.

Raphael landed on top of the debris with a thud and immediately went over to his fallen brother. "Michelangelo? Can you hear me?" he said as his hands started to go to work in removing the boards that were on top of his brother. When he pulled the final piece of wood to the side, he noticed all the cuts and bruises that were on his brother's body. Blood trailed its way down the surfer turtle's face, staining his bright orange mask with crimson red. "He's not responding!" Raphael called up to his brothers in a panic.

"There's no time right now, the building is going to blow in about a minute" Leonardo sternly said, trying to get his brother back on task. "We have to get out of here, pronto".

Raphael began to try and pry the heavy safe off his brother. Grunting from the weight, he was finally able to lift it. Because he didn't have his hands free, he took his foot and swooped it under his brother's legs to push him out of the way. When he knew he finally had him free, he let the safe drop with a loud thunk.

"Are you guys alright?" Donatello cried.

"I got him free" was the red turtle's only reply. When he took a quick glance at his younger brother, he noticed that his leg was bent at an odd angle. _Oh Michelangelo, who did this to you? _The turtle thought as he quickly picked up his brother bridal style, careful not to jostle his broken leg, and made his way over to the rope. Raphael put his brother down on his feet and let his right hand fall around his brother's waist. His left hand grabbed ahold of the rope that dangled in front of him and gave it a firm tug, signaling to his other brothers he was ready to be hoisted back up.

"Alright Donatello, on three….one, two, three" Raphael could hear grunts coming from his two brothers as he and Michelangelo were pulled out of the dark abyss. They landed with a thud as they reached the top. Raphael carefully placed himself between his brother and the floor as they made the landing. Before he had time to register anything, the wise cracking turtle felt the weight being lifted off of him and Leonardo's face came into his view offering a hand up.

"Come on guys, we've got to get out of here now" Donatello stated as he ran towards the door with Michelangelo in a bridal carry.

The three turtles managed to jump out of the old, decrepit building and duck behind the turtle van as the demolition went into effect. Raphael, seeing his younger brother in Donatello's arms, protectively covered the orange banded turtles head as the ground shook like an earthquake.

Leonardo stood up once the dust was clear to gaze where the hotel once stood. The leader took in a deep breath, thinking about how just a minute ago they had found their brother and barely got out of there alive. Donatello's voice brought him out of his state of shock.

"Guys, we need to get Michelangelo back to the lair, he's hurt pretty bad" he stated as he cradled their younger brother in his arms.

"Are you guys okay?" April asked as she noticed the turtles gathered behind the van. "Michelangelo!" She gasped as she saw the state that the young surfer turtle was in.

"He'll be okay" Leonardo said reassuring as he helped Donatello into the van with his brother.

Raphael noticed the green parrot perched on the reporter's shoulder. Even though the bird didn't understand what was going on, he swore he could see a look of sadness in his eyes. Michelangelo loved that bird so much and from what he was seeing, he would bet that the bird felt the same way about him too. "What's going to happen to Ditto?" he quickly asked before quickly joining his brothers in the van.

"We've called the City Zoo and they have agreed to take him to their bird sanctuary" she said, sadly.

"Come on Raphael, we need to go!" Leonardo yelled through the window.

Raphael completely ignored his older brother at the moment and started to pet the bird underneath his chin, just like he seen his brother do just a few hours ago. "Thanks, Ditto. You saved our little brother's life". _This is going to break Michelangelo's heart for sure. _Before April could say anything, Raphael quickly jumped back in the van and they sped off, back towards the lair. April could have sworn she saw some tears in the wise cracking turtle's eyes as she watched the van disappear around the corner.

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"Is Michelangelo going to be alright?" Leonardo asked as Raphael and he made their way over to the bed that their younger brother laid on.

"He should be guys, but he's still out of it. I think he has a concussion from the fall and his femur snapped in half when that safe fell on him. He's pretty banged up" Donatello didn't let his gaze go off his fallen brother. His eyes were swimming with guilt as he thought back to how he yelled at his brother earlier and was mentally kicking himself because it could have been the last words he said to Michelangelo.

Raphael noticed the bandage up by his brother's brow, already stained with blood. Michelangelo looked so broken and Raphael could feel tears starting to form in his eyes. _He shouldn't look like this. He just wanted to have a small pet as a companion and we shooed him out. _"This is all my fault" Raphael silently whispered. He wasn't quiet enough because the leader in blue heard him.

Shocked, Leonardo placed a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder. "Don't blame yourself, I was at fault too. I shouldn't have yelled at him and Ditto".

"We all are" Donatello chimed in as he sat next to Michelangelo and grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze.

"Should we have someone stay with him until he wakes up?" Leonardo asked.

"That wouldn't be a bad…."Donatello was quickly cut off.

"I'll take first watch" Raphael said firmly and sat on the other side of his brother. He grabbed his other hand and held it tight within his three fingered grip. Donatello and Leonardo didn't protest. They knew that their brother was taking the burden of what happened. Guilt and fear swam through the red masked turtle's eyes as he continued to stare at his unconscious brother.

"If you need us, call us. I will relieve you in three hours" Leonardo stated as he and Donatello left the room.

Raphael's POV

Leonardo said that I shouldn't blame myself because we were all at fault for this. I couldn't help but still blame myself as I stare down at my brother's beaten sleeping form. I was so focused on how his bird ate all of my stuff. I then realize that all of that was just stuff. Stuff that could be replaced or fixed, heck, the green avenger costume probably could be sewed. But my brother, he simply can't be replaced and I can't believe it took for him to get hurt for me to realize this.

As I continue to stare at him, images of his hurt reaction when Donatello told him to take the bird back to the pet shop keeps flooding through my mind. I don't ever think I have seen him look so defeated, so hurt on an emotional level. If it wasn't for that menacing bird, Michelangelo wouldn't be alive. If it wasn't for us yelling at him, he wouldn't be in this position. I let out a heavy sigh as I let my emotions come back full circle and the guilt creeps back.

I hear a faint groan come from the bed and I quickly let go of my brother's hand to sit back. I see Michelangelo stir slightly, a look of pain danced across his face. He was waking up! "Michelangelo, can you hear me buddy?"

"Raph…ael" he whispered my name faintly and I could see he wanted to open his eyes but was scared to.

"Come on Michelangelo, nap times over!" I said trying to coax him into coming back to me, to us. I squeezed his hand again for reassurance. It took a few moments, but I saw his eyes finally crack open but briefly. Michelangelo quickly shut them as soon as they were opened and he whispered something again.

"head…" the word escaped his lips as he continued to keep his eyes closed.

"I know buddy, it hurts a lot but you need to open your eyes. I have a big aspirin with your name on it" I said smiling. I was so happy to see him waking up!

"Prom…ise?" he asked faintly.

"I promise. Come on, I will help you sit up" I said. I let go of his hand and place my own underneath his shell and gently hoist him up in a sitting position. I grab the bottle of aspirin and glass of water that was sitting on his night stand that Donatello left out in case he did wake up. "Here, take two of these" I pull his hand out in front of him and let the two white pills plop in his palm. He slowly puts them in his mouth and I hand him the glass of water. When I was sure he washed them down, I grab the glass and put it back on the night stand.

"Dude, what hit me?" He asked once the pain started to subside.

"I don't know, about five floors and a safe" I respond. "Next time you decide to go bungee jumping in an abandoned building, make sure you actually wear one. It doesn't quite work the way you did it".

A small smile creeped on his face and a faint chuckle escaped his tired face. "Will do".

Before calling in my other brothers, I quickly grab Michelangelo up in a bear hug, careful to not jostle his bruised form. "Raphael, what…." He began to question.

"I am so glad that you are okay, Michelangelo I am so sorry, this is all my fault" I said before pulling away. Before he could say another word I yelled for Leonardo and Donatello get in here.

"Raphael, what is it? Is he…." Donatello paused at the door and looked at our now conscious brother sitting up in bed smiling. "Michelangelo, you're alright!" He wrapped our younger brother up in a bear hug like I had done a few moments ago.

"Careful, dude, my melon's still sore" my orange banded brother stated.

"Sorry," Donatello sheepishly pulled out of the hug, "I am just so glad that you're finally awake!"

"So I'm told" he smiled back.

"Michelangelo, you're awake!" I didn't have to turn around to know that was Leonardo joining the party. Instead of hugging him, he grabbed our brother's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Don't ever scare us like that again. What were you doing in that hotel anyway?" Leonardo finally asked the dreaded question that I have been wanting to ask all night.

A look of panic quickly replaced the painful one he previously wore as Michelangelo started to shoot up from the bed. "DITTO! What happened to my little bird compadre?"

"Easy," I said lightly pushing back on the bed. "Ditto's fine, April took him to a bird sanctuary at the City Zoo."

"I didn't even get a chance to say good bye to him" Michelangleo sniffed. Donatello shifted onto the bed next to him and comfortingly put an arm around him.

"You can go see him anytime you want when you're better. He'll be happier there" Leonardo said.

"Yeah, you're right" Michelangelo said sadly.

"So, care to fill us in on your little fall back there at the hotel?" I asked changing to subject back.

"Ditto saw that Mugsy McGuffen on t.v. on our way back to the pet shop and my little bird buddy kept going on and on about the Galoobi Ruby. He then went nutso on me and flew to the Baring Arms Hotel. I followed him up to the top floor and didn't realize the boards were so old that they wouldn't be able to hold my weight". Michelangelo said still in Donatello's hold.

"I've always said that you have got to lay off of those jelly bean and pickle pizzas" I say laughing and pat his stomach. I guess he wasn't in the mood to joke because I didn't even get a laugh out of that lame crack.

"Look, Michelangelo, we're sorry we yelled at you earlier. I guess we just weren't quite open to the idea of you having a pet down here" Donatello stated, squeezing Michelangelo a little tighter.

"No dudes, I'm sorry, the lair is just only big enough for the four of us and Master Splinter." Michelangelo quickly replied. "And thanks for saving me, I guess I was really out of it".

"Don't thank us, thank Ditto. He really came through for you and for us. I guess he wasn't that bad after all" Leonardo motioned us to give Michelangelo some space and time to rest.

"Night Michelangelo, if you need something, holler" Donatello said as him and Leonardo left the room.

"Are you comfortable?" I asked him as he settled underneath the covers.

"Yeah, still sore, but guess that's to be expected, huh?" He said tiredly.

"It's a good thing your head is solid as a rock" I laughed making another joke. My brother smiled like he wouldn't expect anything less from me. When I knew he was well on his way to sleep, I shut off the light and headed towards the door in his room. Turning back I smiled, happy that he was going to be okay. "Sleep tight, Dr. Dolittle".

END! I know sorry, didn't do a good enough job, could have been better. I love the 87 cartoon but its so hard for me to write and I don't know why.


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